When you become a Ghost Prince, you will be eligible for a personally selected title.

How do I get a personal title?

The best way to get an invitation to select a personal title is to distinguish yourself by making meaningful contributions to the forum. Here are some fast ways to NOT get a title:

Pester BW or the other moderators for one.

Quickly pump up your post count by posting anywhere and everywhere with low or no-content posts and topics.

Why am I “Newly Deceased”? What’s all this stuff about graves and rotting and barrows and death?

Readers who have made it through the first book in the Fellowship of the Ring will no doubt be familiar with the Barrow-Downs, where Frodo and his companions ran into trouble with the Barrow-wight after leaving Tom Bombadil’s house. This site takes its theme from the Barrow-Downs, and since that place is a burial ground, a place of dread haunted by undead wights, it’s only appropriate that when you join the virtual version of the Downs, you join the ranks of the restless spirits who haunt them.

The website that hosts the picture does not support linking to outside sites.

You are attempting to upload a picture from your hard-drive which is too large or is not a supported file type.

How do I put in a signature?

In your User CP, there is a link to Edit Signature. Please note that the Downs policy is that all signatures must be three lines or less as they appear in your posts on the board. Be kind to your fellow forum members and keep your sig short and sweet, or you may find it cut down to size for you by a moderator. Pictures and fancy effects or colors are distracting and generally not allowed.

Who are the Admins/Moderators?

Besides The Barrow-Wight and myself, Sharkû, Mithadan, Thenamir, and Gilthalion administrate the Downs. Individual areas of the forum are also overseen by a large, capable, and dedicated crew of moderators. To see who is the moderator of any particular forum, click on that forum from the main page, then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the list of topics. The moderators for that forum are listed in the lower right hand corner.

What does my "Reputation" mean? How do I give reputation to others' posts?

See the Reputations thread for all the information you could ever desire on the vBulletin reputation system.

How do I send a private message?

Click the name of a member next to one of their posts and you will see a list of links. If the member has enabled private messages, one of those links will be, "Send a private message to [name]". Click on that link to send the member a private message. If the link is not present, it means the member does not wish to receive PMs and has disabled them in his or her profile. Note that you are allowed a total of twenty messages between your Inbox and your Sent folder. Once your limit is reached, you won't receive any new messages until you have deleted some of your old ones. You can check your PMs by clicking the "Private Messages" link near the top right hand corner of any forum page or through your User CP.

I love to RPG! How do I get started?

If you're new to the Downs and wish to get involved in RPGing, start in The Shire, at this thread: NEWCOMERS: Join an RPG.

How do I make those cool squiggly marks over my letters like in 'Sharkû'?

Press and hold down the ALT key while typing the four number code on your NUMPAD, then release ALT.

Try to make sure you create new topics in the proper forum. For instance, saying hi if you’re new and questions which ask “What’s your favorite... (anything)?” are more suited to the Novices and Newcomers forum.

Look before you post. There’s no need to start a new topic to test your pic if there are already two or three of the same thread on the same page. Make an effort to see if there are already active conversations on the topic you’re considering starting before you start it.

If you have a post that’s of interest to only one or two other members, consider sending a private message instead. Try not to use the Downs like a chat room.

In the same spirit as the last tip, you don’t need to start a topic to announce that you’re leaving for the weekend or that you’ve returned after a few days’ absence. Just join in the conversation when you return. Try not to use the Downs like a chat room.

A NOTE ON MEETINGS BETWEEN DOWNS MEMBERS

Some online friendships here at the Downs have lead to members organizing face-to-face meetings. It should be noted, however, that none of these meetings are organized or officially sanctioned by the Barrow Downs site or those who run it. You should use these boards with common sense and take appropriate precautions:

If you are under 18, do not post your e-mail address on these forums or exchange them with any person.

If you choose to provide any person with your e-mail address, you do so at your own risk.

We do not encourage or support your meeting in person anybody who you may speak with on these forums. If you do so, it is at your own risk.

If you choose to meet in person anybody who you speak with on these forums, you should do so in public with other people present.

If you have suggestions for additions or changes to this list, feel free to PM me.